How to verify your domain for ChatGPT Business Hub with a DNS TXT record
To verify your domain for ChatGPT Business Hub, choose the website domain method, copy the record type (TXT), host and value exactly as Business Hub shows them, add a TXT record with those values wherever your domain’s DNS is managed, wait for it to propagate and click verify. The most common failure is the host field: many DNS providers add your domain automatically, so entering the full host can create a doubled name that never matches.
Key takeaways
- Add the record where your DNS is hosted, which is not always where you bought the domain.
- The value starts with openai-business-claim= and must be pasted exactly.
- Enter the host the way your provider expects: most want only the part before your root domain.
- Propagation can take minutes to 48 hours depending on the provider; one agency reported its record expired in about a day.
What Business Hub asks for
OpenAI’s help article lists the website domain as one of four ways to verify a business, next to a business phone code, a business email code and a Shopify store login. For the domain method, you copy three things exactly: the record type, the name or host, and the value. DeltaV Digital, an agency that claimed its own profile on launch day, reported that the value begins with openai-business-claim= and that the host it was given looked like openai-business-claim.www.yourdomain.com. Yours may differ: always copy what your screen shows.
Two warnings from the same report. The record had an expiry (about one day in DeltaV’s case), so add it as soon as you generate it. And treat the value like a password while the claim is open: do not post it in a ticket or a public channel. If you are new to the overall flow, read our guide to claiming your business in ChatGPT first.
Find out where your DNS is managed
Your registrar and your DNS host can be different companies. If your nameservers point to Cloudflare, the record goes in Cloudflare even if the domain was bought at GoDaddy. Wix says that if your domain is connected by pointing rather than nameservers, you add TXT records with your domain host, not Wix. Squarespace says you can edit DNS there only if the domain is registered with Squarespace or connected with Nameserver Connect. Shopify says domains using custom nameservers do not show DNS records in Shopify at all.
In an enterprise, IT or the web team usually owns DNS. Send them the three values and this page, and ask them to confirm the record with a public DNS lookup before you click verify.
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Host-by-host steps (from each provider’s help page)
These steps come from each provider’s own help article, read on November 12, 2026. Provider menus change; follow their current wording if it differs.
| Host | Where to add it | Host or name field | Propagation per the provider |
|---|---|---|---|
| GoDaddy | Domain Portfolio, select the domain, DNS tab, Add New Record, Type TXT, then Save | Name: @ for the root; for anything else enter only the prefix, without your domain name | Most changes within an hour; up to 48 hours globally |
| Cloudflare | DNS Records page, Add record, choose TXT, complete the fields, Save | Name: the subdomain part, or @ for the zone apex. Cloudflare adds quotes to TXT content if you leave them out | Governed by TTL; Cloudflare says TTL controls how long updates take to reach users |
| Wix | Domains, Domain Actions icon, Manage DNS Records, TXT section, + Add Record, Save | Host Name: leave blank where you were told to enter @ | Not stated in the article |
| Squarespace | Domains dashboard, select the domain, DNS, add the record (you may be asked to confirm your password or 2FA) | Fields are Type, Name, Priority, TTL and Data; custom records default to a 4-hour TTL | 24 to 48 hours |
| Shopify | Settings, Domains, select the domain, DNS settings, Manage, Add custom record, TXT, Confirm | Shopify’s help says not to edit the name field for new TXT records | Up to 24 hours |
Shopify is the one case to watch. If Business Hub gives you a host other than the root domain and Shopify will not let you set the name, use the Shopify store login method in Business Hub instead, which OpenAI lists as its own verification option.
Step by step
This is the sequence we give clients’ IT teams.
- Start the claim in Business Hub with the company-owned ChatGPT account and choose the website domain method.
- Copy the type, host and value into a private note; do not retype them.
- Strip your root domain from the host if your provider appends it: openai-business-claim.www.yourdomain.com becomes openai-business-claim.www.
- Add the TXT record at your DNS host, paste the value exactly, keep the default TTL and save.
- Check the record with a public DNS lookup tool for the full host name until it returns the value.
- Return to Business Hub and verify before the record expires; if it expired, generate a new one and replace the old value.
- Complete the Persona identity check and wait for OpenAI’s review email.
Why verification fails, and the fix
These are the failure modes reported in launch week and the ones we expect from how DNS providers work.
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Lookup shows the record at a doubled name | Full host entered where the provider appends the domain | Re-enter only the prefix |
| Lookup shows nothing | Record added at the registrar while DNS is hosted elsewhere, or not yet propagated | Find the active nameservers; wait out the provider’s propagation time |
| Value does not match | Extra spaces, missing prefix, or quotes added twice | Paste the value exactly; let the provider handle quotes |
| Check passed in DNS but Business Hub refuses | Record expired before you clicked verify | Generate a new record and update the value |
| Shopify will not accept the host | Shopify does not allow editing the name on new TXT records | Use the Shopify login method |
After verification, leave the record in place until OpenAI approves the claim. OpenAI does not say in its help article whether the record can be removed afterwards, so ask your IT team to note why it exists before anyone cleans up DNS.
After the domain is verified
Verification gets you the claim. Publishing changes, viewing Insights, connecting a product feed and creating a business agent all wait for Persona approval. Use that time to write the profile description and pick the category. Our explainer on what Business Hub mentions count will help you read the numbers once they appear.
For B2B teams, the domain you verify is also the site ChatGPT has to reference for an online business mention to count. That makes your pages, not just the profile, the asset. Our generative engine optimization service covers both.
If your IT team wants a call to walk through the record, talk to our team.
Frequently asked questions
What is the openai-business-claim TXT record?
It is the DNS record ChatGPT Business Hub asks you to add when you verify your website domain. The value starts with openai-business-claim= and must be pasted exactly as shown.
What do I enter in the host field for the ChatGPT TXT record?
The host Business Hub shows, adapted to your provider. Most providers append your domain, so enter only the part before it, for example openai-business-claim.www rather than the full name.
How long does ChatGPT domain verification take?
It depends on your DNS host: GoDaddy says most changes apply within an hour, Shopify up to 24 hours and Squarespace 24 to 48 hours. Then OpenAI reviews the claim and the identity check.
Why does ChatGPT say my TXT record was not found?
Usually a doubled host name, the record added at the registrar instead of the active DNS host, propagation not finished or an expired record. Check with a public DNS lookup before retrying.
Can I verify a Shopify domain for Business Hub?
Shopify’s help says not to edit the name field for new TXT records, so if Business Hub needs a non-root host, use the Shopify store login method instead.
Sources
- OpenAI Help Center: Setting up your business on ChatGPT (read November 12, 2026)
- DeltaV Digital (agency blog): How to claim your business in ChatGPT (November 10, 2026)
- GoDaddy Help: Add a TXT record
- Cloudflare Docs: Create DNS records
- Cloudflare Docs: DNS record types
- Wix Help Center: Adding or updating TXT records in your Wix account
- Squarespace Help Center: Adding DNS records to your domain
- Shopify Help Center: Editing the DNS settings for your Shopify-managed domain
Related service: Generative engine optimization. See also pricing and client results.
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